State regulators approved a proposal from Bennington’s Southwest Vermont Medical Center, building a nearly $10 million psychiatric unit for youth and dismissing concerns from the Brattleboro Retreat and Disability Advocacy Group.
In a unanimous decision, the state’s health regulator, the Green Mountain Care Commission, voted for it to be issued on March 19th. Required certificate – A slip that effectively allows the project to move forward.
The five board wrote that “additional inpatient mental health capabilities are urgently needed.” Documents outlined the decision.
“This project will improve the quality of health care and improve access by increasing the number of mental health beds available for adolescent inpatients in Vermont,” the decision states.
The unit has been in work since 2022 when Bennington Hospital responded to state requests for proposals to build an inpatient mental health care unit.
To build the new facility, Southwest Vermont Medical Center is proposing to renovate approximately 7,000 square feet on the first floor of the building. The 12-bed units house 12-17 young people and include “spaces of group and individual therapy, sensory remission, social services consultation, quiet and active social and learning, and staff documentation and support.”
The unit is supported by $10 million in state funding, of which $1 million is for operation in the first year.
“We would like to thank the Green Mountain Care Committee for their careful review and support for this project, representing a significant expansion of adolescent mental health services in Vermont,” Thomas Dee, president and CEO of Vermont Medical Center in the Southwest, said in an emailed statement. “We are grateful to take this next step in supporting youth and their families through this program.”
The proposed unit spent over a year on the Green Mountain Care Board needs process certificate. Meanwhile, he elicited concerns from the nonprofit disabled rights Vermont and Brattleboro Retreat, a mental hospital that runs its own youth inpatient program.
Disabled Rights Vermont argued that state money would be better spent reinforcing less-intensive mental health services in the community, such as counseling and school resources.
And Brattleboro Retreat said it is unclear how much demand exists for inpatient care. And the new unit at Bennington Hospital said it could pull patients apart and fall into a $10 million annual adjustment to its business.
However, the board gave the project a green light despite those concerns. If the retreat business is affected by the project, the board wrote, it has the ability to adapt.
“Vermont’s mental health needs are substantial, and retreats are in a strong position to assess those needs to meet them,” the board wrote.
Kathryn Chaplinsky, a spokesman for Southwest Vermont Medical Center, said it is unclear exactly when the unit will be completed, but it should take about eight months once the permitting process is complete.
